Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Carbon Budgets

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's ability to meet its fourth and fifth carbon budgets, which run from 2022 to 2032; and what plans they have to meet or otherwise amend those budgets.

lord henley: The UK carbon budgets set in legislation are among the most stringent in the world, with the fifth carbon budget requiring a 57% cut in emissions by 2028-2032 from a 1990 baseline. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through to 2032, showing one possible pathway for meeting the fifth carbon budget through domestic action. Projections show that we are on track to deliver over 90% of our required performance against 1990 levels for the fourth and fifth carbon budgets, even before many of the policies and proposals in the Clean Growth Strategy are taken into account. Our progress in delivering on the ambitious policies and proposals set out in the Clean Growth Strategy– across housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance - is set out in detail in the Government Response to the Committee on Climate Change’s Annual Progress Report to Parliament. This includes an assessment of progress against key actions and milestones.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Middle East and North Africa: Defence Organisations

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussion or preparation there has been for the creation of an institution for the Middle East and North Africa comparable to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: An OSCE–style regional cooperative security organisation within the Middle East and North Africa has been periodically suggested but has never found sufficient agreement within the region’s states to become a reality.It would be for the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region to create such an institution. We are not aware of or involved in any such discussions or preparations at this time.

Algeria: Politics and Government

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support a national dialogue to achieve a peaceful political transition in Algeria, following the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on 2 April.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are following events in Algeria closely, following (former) President Bouteflika's resignation, the appointment of an interim Head of State and the announcement of presidential election scheduled for 4 July.We have discussed these developments with Algerian officials and civil society representatives at a variety of levels. We commend the peaceful and dignified nature of the demonstration. The forthcoming transition period is a matter for the Algerian people.

Ukraine: Foreign Relations

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what practical steps they intend to take to strengthen bilateral relations with Ukraine, including future UK ministerial meetings with new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Prime Minister spoke with President-elect Zelenskiy by telephone on 23 April, and reiterated the UK's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. She expressed our willingness to increase our already deep partnership across a range of areas. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of our two countries working together alongside the international community to deter Russian aggression, and invited Mr Zelenskiy to visit the UK at the earliest opportunity. We look forward to further engagement with Mr Zelenskiy after his inauguration.

Arctic Council

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to join the Arctic Council; and if not, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​In accordance with the Declaration on the establishment of the Arctic Council dated 19 September 1996, membership is reserved to Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the USA, also known as the Arctic States. The United Kingdom has held the status of State Observer to the Arctic Council since its establishment in 1996, and intends to continue to retain this status and our ongoing engagement with the Arctic Council.

Israel: West Bank

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the closure of checkpoints and crossings between Israel and the West Bank during Jewish religious holidays.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not raised the specific issue of the closure of crossings during Jewish religious holidays with the Israeli authorities. We recognise the Israeli authorities' legitimate need to deploy security measures in some circumstances, including the closure of checkpoints and crossings, and we encourage them to do so in a way which minimises tensions.

Palestinians: Religious Freedom

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about Palestinian Christians in Gaza being denied permits to travel to worship in Bethlehem or Jerusalem; and what actionthey will take to preserve religious freedom in the Palestinian Occupied Territory.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains committed to freedom of movement for those wishing to pursue religious ceremonies and purposes. We understand that in April Israel provided some permits for Christians to visit holy sites both in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and outside of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However Israel continues to implement severe restrictions on movement access for Palestinians in Gaza. We regularly raise our concerns about Gaza with the Israeli authorities, urging them to ease movement and access restrictions and work together with the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to see long-term improvements to the situation in Gaza. We encourage Israel to continue to promptly issue permits regularly to both Christians and Muslims in Gaza, and uphold freedom of religion and belief for all.

Jerusalem: Demolition

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Israel's Supreme Court is allowing the demolition of 60 buildings housing 500 Palestinian families in Silwan, East Jerusalem.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: On 26 April the EU issued a statement, on behalf of the UK and other EU Member States, requesting that Israel reconsider the pending demolition orders in Silwan. We continue to be gravely concerned by the impact of demolitions and evictions on ordinary Palestinians and the impact this has on the viability of a future Palestinian state. Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel's commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. We fund a number of projects to monitor and report on settlement expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and to protect vulnerable Palestinian communities from the effects of settlement expansion.

Israel: Elections

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that political operatives working for theLikud-National Liberal Movement have claimed to have decreased voter turnout among Arab-Israelis by illegally hiding 1,300 cameras inside Arab polling stations during the recent elections in Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not made any assessment on this issue as this is a matter for the Israeli authorities. We have discussed with our international partners, including Israel, the importance of free, fair and pluralistic elections in upholding the principle and practice of democracy.​

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about reports that Israeli forces use live fire in situations where there is no risk to those forces.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinians killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the West Bank and Gaza. We have raised the issue with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations whether use of live fire had been appropriate.We repeatedly make clear to the Israeli authorities our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the IDF police non-violent protests and the border areas, including use of live ammunition. We will continue to do so.

Iraq: Syria

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toencourage the re-opening of the Iraq–Syria border crossing at Al-Qaim and Abu Kamal; and whether they plan to discuss this matter with the government of the USA, with particular reference to access to, and humanitarian supplies for, 40,000internally displaced people in the Rukban Camp.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Rukban camp. Together with our international partners including the United States, we are urgently pressing the Syrian regime and Russia to allow further UN aid convoys from Damascus. There is no legitimate reason why the regime is refusing to facilitate sustained humanitarian access to the camp. We do not assess the re-opening of the Iraq-Syria border crossing at Al-Qaim and Abu Kamal would assist in this matter as, even if agreed, any aid convoy using this crossing would still require the regime's approval to reach the Rukban camp.

Najah Ahmed Yousif

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made about the allegations of torture and sexual assault by officers of Bahrain’s National Security Agency on political prisoner Najah Yusuf; and whether they have communicated directly with the National Security Agency Ombudsmanaboutsuch allegations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Manama continues to monitor the case of Najah Ahmed Yusuf and has raised her case at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 April (237139), what are the objectivesof the Integrated Activity Fund.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Integrated Activity Fund was introduced in the 2015 Spending Round to enable activity when funding from core departmental, or other sources, cannot be made available to service the British Government's Gulf Strategy. It is intended to support the delivery of flexible, cross-cutting and sustained investment in the region.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce "off-rolling" of Year 11 pupils from school rolls; and whether such pupils should still be included in school performance tables.

lord agnew of oulton: Pupils leave school rolls for many reasons including: permanent exclusion, moving to another school, or changes of circumstances (such as when a pupil moves to a new area). All schools must notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is to be deleted from the admission register. There is no legal definition of ‘off-rolling’. However, the law is clear that a pupil’s name can only be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended. Statutory guidance on exclusions is also clear that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be formally recorded. Following media coverage of inappropriate off-rolling last summer, the department wrote to all secondary schools, reminding them of the rules surrounding exclusion. Ofsted has recently consulted on proposals that will see inspectors paying particular attention to signs of off-rolling, and if it is found, reflecting this in the school’s inspection judgement. Ofsted will publish the outcome of its consultation in due course. In March 2018, the government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review is exploring how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It is also considering the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England. The Timpson review and the government’s response were published on 7 May. The review makes 30 recommendations and highlights variation in exclusions practice across different schools, local authorities and certain groups of children. The government agrees with all 30 recommendation in principle and will be taking forward an ambitious response which respects headteachers’ powers to use exclusion, while equipping schools to support children at risk of exclusion.

Universities: Disclosure of Information

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of non-disclosure agreements by universities.

viscount younger of leckie: Many organisations, including universities, use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and confidentiality agreements legitimately. Universities are autonomous institutions and the Department for Education has not made any specific analysis of their use of NDAs.We expect universities to only use NDAs where necessary and appropriate. Any misuse of these agreements to intimidate and silence people is completely unacceptable.In a speech on 7 May at the London School of Economics, my hon. Friend, the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, said that non-disclosure clauses should only be used in appropriate circumstances, like protecting valuable research findings should a staff member change jobs. He added that they should not be used to cover up inappropriate behaviour or conduct.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently consulted on the best way to tighten the laws around NDAs for workers, ensuring workers are clear on their rights and making it clear in law that people cannot be prevented from speaking to the police or reporting a crime regardless of any NDA. Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed.

Students: Loans

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what is the current policy of the Student Loans Company on the surveillance of students’ social media; (2) whetherany such policy is publicly available;(3) which social media platforms may fall under this policy; and (4) what measures are in place to oversee this policy.

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals' social media accounts the Student Loans Company has surveilled as part of its approach to combatting fraud.

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have received compensation or redress from the Student Loans Company as a result of wrongful decisions under its approach to combatting fraud.

viscount younger of leckie: The Student Loans Company (SLC) carries out investigations where fraud is suspected, as well as sample checks to identify possible fraud. The SLC accesses a wide range of publicly available information for the purposes of verifying a customer’s eligibility and detecting and preventing fraud, and this may include publicly available social media content. The SLC only accesses information that is in the public domain; it does not use information sourced from social media in isolation to make a determination on a case; and it does not conduct ongoing monitoring or surveillance of students’ social media. The SLC provides a privacy notice to all students during their application for finance, which is also available on the SLC’s website. This notice sets out how students’ personal information is processed and used by the company, including that both the information provided by the student during their application and publicly available information, such as that on social media and other public platforms, may be used to detect, investigate and prevent crime including fraud. The SLC is also in the final stages of drafting a social media acceptable use policy, which covers all aspects of the company’s social media use. This policy is due to be published on the SLC’s website next month. The policy covers any publicly available social media platform. Currently, the SLC accesses publicly available content on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The policy will be reviewed at least annually or more often if business requirements, legislation, or regulations change. In 2018-19, the SLC investigated 3,829 cases in relation to potential application fraud (out of a total of 2.8 million applicants and students). A further 5,289 cases were investigated in relation to repayment evasion (out of a total 5.7 million repayers). As part of the process for both preventing application fraud and eliminating repayment evasion, investigators may review publicly available information, such as that on social media and other public platforms. This does not occur in every investigation. To date in financial year (FY) 2019-20, and in FY 2018-19, no individuals received compensation or redress from the SLC as a result of wrongful decisions by the SLC's Counter Fraud Team. In FY 2017-18, one individual received an ex-gratia payment of £100.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Children

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support homeless children in the UK.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: This Government remains clear that one person without a home is one too many and we are committed to preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no child or family is without a roof over their head.As well as allocating over £1.2 billion to tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period, the government has also taken forward a number of important actions to specifically prevent and reduce homelessness.The Homelessness Reduction Act, which came into force in April 2018, bolsters the support offer for families and individuals by ensuring that there are more opportunities for local authorities to put in place bespoke interventions to either prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, or relieve them from a homelessness crisis where it does occur. Local authorities have a duty to house eligible households with children.We also replaced the Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) Temporary Accommodation Management Fee with a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant which local authorities can use more strategically to prevent homelessness and help households find a settled home. This amounts to £617 million over three years from 2017/18.Our new Homelessness Advice and Support Team, drawn from local authorities and the homelessness sector, is providing support to authorities to deliver the Homelessness Reduction Act and effective homelessness services.

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of business rates relief approved by local authorities in England since 2015.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Data on the cost of reliefs given and forecast to be given can be found in Table 2 (attached) of the ‘National non-domestic rates to be collected by local authorities in England 2019-20’ statistical release, which can be found at this link https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778324/NNDR1_2019-20_Stats_release.pdf



Table 2
(PDF Document, 255.29 KB)




NNDR Statistical releases
(PDF Document, 307.2 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds: Pest Control

lord crathorne: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Natural England expects to introduce new licences for bird control.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Secretary of State has taken over ultimate decision making powers for general licences relating to the purposes covered by the three revoked general licences. The Secretary of State will consider the present situation with intensity and urgency; his priority is getting this right. The Government has issued a call for evidence https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defra-launches-call-for-evidence-on-decision-to-revoke-general-licences to help our consideration of the issues of new general licences.

Animals: Overseas Trade

lord lilley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether trade inlive vertebrates between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland takes place under the Trade Control and Expert System and requires an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate; if so, who provides the certificate; and what changes would be required if the UK leaves the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: For live vertebrates traded between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland the normal EU rules for trade between Member States apply. The rules vary according to the animal. For most live vertebrates the consignment has to be notified to the Competent Authority of the receiving Member State using TRACES and requires an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC). If the UK is listed as a third country after EU exit then EU law as it stands would require commercial exports of most live vertebrates from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland to enter the Republic at a Border Inspection Post and be accompanied by an Export Health Certificate. Notification would either be by the EU importer, or potentially by the relevant UK competent authority using TRACES if the EU agrees access to this element of TRACES. In Northern Ireland the relevant competent authority is DAERA. For commercial imports of most live vertebrates from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland in the absence of a deal, the guidance we issued before 12 April set out the process to follow: www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-animals-animal-products-and-high-risk-food-and-feed-not-of-animal-origin-if-the-UK-leaves-the-EU-with-no-deal This included the requirement for the UK importer to contact DAERA and for the consignment to be accompanied by a UK health certificate. This could be an ITAHC for a transition period of six months. If the EU were to agree access to the relevant elements of TRACES as they did for a limited period in the event of the UK exiting the EU without a deal on 12 April, then notification could take place on TRACES and the process would be the same as now. If we leave the EU in accordance with the draft Withdrawal Agreement then for the period of that Agreement the processes for trade of live vertebrates between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would be the same as now.

Packaging: Waste

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations; and whether those Regulations need to be reformed.

lord gardiner of kimble: In 2017 the Government published a Post Implementation Review of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. In our Resources and Waste Strategy we committed to reform our current packaging producer responsibility system which includes measures to incentivise producers to make better, more sustainable decisions at the design stage and point of manufacture. On 18 February 2019 the Government published a consultation on proposals to reform the producer responsibility regime for packaging, including mechanisms to incentivise better design, encourage the use of recycled material and ensure that producers pay the full costs of disposal for packaging they place on the market. The consultation closed on 13 May.

Butterflies

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health of the UK butterfly population.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme is organised and funded by Butterfly Conservation, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the British Trust for Ornithology and the UK Government’s nature conservation adviser, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Records are collected by volunteers and provide an invaluable dataset for planning and monitoring action for insect conservation. The scheme’s data is published annually and incorporated into the Government’s UK and England Biodiversity Indicators. The UK indicator of butterfly abundance shows long term declines since 1976 but has shown no overall trend since 2012, despite increases for some species and decreases for others. We have seen real conservation success stories, often where farmers, landowners, voluntary bodies - such as Butterfly Conservation - and Government have worked together to put the right management in the right place. For example, the high brown fritillary, one of Britain’s most threatened butterflies, having lost 85 per cent of its population since the 1970s, has been the focus of conservation efforts and has seen numbers increase by 271 per cent over the last 10 years. Short-term increases in numbers across species were also seen in 2018 when the Monitoring Scheme’s most recent data was published in April 2019. More than two- thirds of UK butterfly species were seen in higher numbers than the previous year, with two of the UK’s rarest, the large blue and black hairstreak, recording their best years since records began. The Government knows, however, that butterfly numbers fluctuate from year to year in response to weather conditions. The Government must closely monitor the underlying trends and keep conservation actions under review to build on progress and ensure that efforts continue to be targeted effectively.

Home Office

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

lord dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the European Migration Fund is being allocated to local authorities and in particular to child refugees.

baroness williams of trafford: The EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), to which this question presumably relates, is operated in the UK by the AMIF UK Responsible Authority. The total value of the fund to the UK is currently €538.2m.Funding is not allocated directly to local authorities unless they have applied for funding through an open call for proposals operated by the Responsible Authority, one of which is currently open with £50m available for organisations to apply for, for integration related activities for third country nationalS, including refugees. The Home Office, as the department with responsibility for migration, is also able to apply for AMIF funds, and has received a significant amount of AMIF funds to date.There is no particular amount allocated to managing child refugees. A full list of funded projects is published each August on the AMIF page of www.gov.uk along with the UK National Programme and information about calls for proposals.

Cabinet Office

Brexit

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether transcripts were taken of the meetings in May and June 2018 between the Chancellor of Germany and the Prime Minister; and if so, whether they will place copies in the Library of the House.

lord young of cookham: The Prime Minister holds meetings with other leaders regularly in order to further the UK’s foreign policy interests. In order to maintain the trust of other states and continue the free and frank exchange of information between governments, it is important that discussions between the Prime Minister and other leaders are protected.

Torture

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whethertheyintend to establish a judge-led inquiry into allegations of UK involvement in torture overseas.

lord young of cookham: Further to the Prime Minister’s Written Statement of 22 November 2018 (HCWS1100), the Government continues to give serious consideration to the examination of detainee issues and whether any more lessons can be learned and, if so, how. This includes the question of whether or not there should be a further judge-led inquiry.

Treasury

Import Duties

lord lilley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what revenue they anticipate from a full year of the temporary tariff regime announced on 13 March; and how much they would expect to raise if there were no change in the current tariff regime.

lord young of cookham: Under the current tariff regime, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility have forecast tariff revenue to be £3.5bn in 2019/20. In the event of a no deal it will not be possible to replicate our current trading arrangements. The yield raised from tariffs, under the temporary tariff regime, is likely to be highly sensitive to any behavioural response, wider economic conditions, and judgements on modelling assumptions taken by the Office for Budget Responsibility. It is therefore not possible to provide a firm estimate at this stage of a full year of the temporary tariff regime but in the event of no deal, the tariffs policy would be reflected in a future Office for Budget Responsibility fiscal forecast.

Electronic Commerce: Tax Evasion

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Young of Cookham on 25 April, what was the value of stock belonging to third parties seized from 14 fulfilment houses by HMRC; whether that stock has been, or will be, destroyed; and if not, what they intend to do with that stock.

lord young of cookham: HMRC does not record the values of goods seized from fulfilment houses. Goods have been seized where HMRC believes customs obligations have been contravened. This includes the inability of the fulfilment house to link the goods to an import declaration made to HMRC. Without this link, the value of the goods declared at import is unknown. HMRC will destroy all seized goods after an appropriate period of time has elapsed, unless the importer of the goods can demonstrate it is compliant.